Understanding and Compassion (prayer experience): "other-mindness"'The technique whereby you can accept another's ideas as yours is the same whereby you may “let the mind which was in Christ be also in you.”' Reference Page Link

3/31/13 Easter Sunday Desmond Tutu And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.- Genesis 39:20-23 The good news is that God loves me long before I could have done anything to deserve it.

-Desmond Tutu Receive, Lord, the offering of our lives : that every breath might be holy to you.

3/30/13 Holy SaturdayC.S Lewis The LORD passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, "The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."- Exodus 34:6

We do not want to merely “see” beauty. We want to be united with it, to receive it into ourselves, to become part of it.- C.S Lewis We give thanks, God, for the prophets who love us enough to tell us your hard truth. Show us where we need your words for our repentance and conversion, and teach us how to always speak your truth in love. Amen.

3/29/13 Good FridayIgnatius of Antioch The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.- Ezekiel 22:29 Better to die for the sake of Jesus Christ than to be king over the utmost ends of the earth.-Ignatius of Antioch Lord, keep us from making excuses for the sake of disobedience and spiritual death. Help us remember that all of humanity is invited to feast at your table, especially those we would name as enemies. Amen.- From Common Prayer

3/28/13Maundy Thursday Alice Walker "For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."- Ezekiel 34:11-12 "Tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for [God] to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God."- Alice Walker Dear God in heaven, we thank you for the eternal, living, saving word that in Jesus you have spoken and continue to speak to us human beings. Do not allow us to hear it only in a cursory fashion and be too lazy to obey it. Do not let us fall, but remain near each one of us with your comfort, and between each of us and our fellow human beings with your peace. Amen.Adapted from a prayer by Karl Barth

Maundy Thursday: Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, a Christian sacrament that involves consecrating (or making holy) bread and wine. The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin word for “commandment”.

Langston Hughes

3/27/13Holy Week Meditations Langston Hughes "Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops."- Luke 12:2-3 "When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul."- Langston Hughes We bring before you, O Lord, the troubles and perils of people and nations, the sighing of prisoners and captives, the sorrows of the bereaved, the necessities of strangers, the helplessness of the weak, the despondency of the weary, the failing powers of the aged. O Lord, draw near to each; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Adapted from a prayer by St. Anselm

3/26/13 Holy Week Meditations Rumi"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."- Psalm 27:13 "I don't care if you're dead Jesus is here, and he wants To resurrect somebody."- Rumi God, thank you for today. Thank you for listening to my prayers and the prayers of your people. Thank you for your love. Thank you for grace. Amen.

3/25/13 Holy Week Meditations Zora Neale Hurston"Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything."- Ecclesiastes 11:5 "There are years that ask questions and years that answer."- Zora Neale HurstonPlease take a moment of silence for the country of Syria and the estimated 20,000-plus victims of violence.

3/24/13 Palm SundayArchbishop Oscar Romero After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’- Revelation 7:9-10 I have frequently been threatened with death. I must say that, as a Christian, I do not believe in death but in the resurrection. If they kill me, I shall rise again in the Salvadoran people. Martyrdom is a great gift from God that I do not believe I have earned. But if God accepts the sacrifice of my life, then my blood will be like the seed of liberty, and a sign of the hope that will soon become a reality.- Archbishop Oscar Romero Lord, not only in the roar of a hard rain, but in the dousing, dipping, drenching of our baptism, call us to live into that new life that is your resurrection. Amen.- From Common Prayer

"A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough."- Galatians 5:9 “You can’t change the world, but you can change yourself. That adage suits consumer capitalism perfectly, since the illusion of changing ourselves is a successfully maintained through shopping.”- Madeleine Bunting from, The End is Nigh Lord most high, do not allow us to harden ourselves to your faithfulness! Continually awaken us from the sleep of indifference and the bad dreams of our pious and impious passions and desires! Do not tire of continually guiding us back onto your path! Amen.Adapted from a prayer by Karl Barth

3/22/13C.S Lewis "[Jesus] said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’" - Luke 14:12-14 "If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort, you will get neither comfort nor truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair."- C.S Lewis Lord, you are my God, my refuge and strength. Thank you for guiding me through this week, for being with me always. Amen.

3/21/13Leo Tolstoy "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 "Though it is possible to utter words only with the intention to fulfill the will of God, it is very difficult not to think about the impression which they will produce on men and not to form them accordingly. But deeds you can do quite unknown to men, only for God. And such deeds are the greatest joy that a man can experience."- Leo Tolstoy God, we pray today with many Christian leaders for our country's immigration system and the millions of people who are negatively affected by the current standstill in congress. Help our leaders develop a fair and just immigration reform plan. Help us, as the church, to continuously seek ways to love our neighbors and the strangers around us. Amen.

3/20/13Henry James"As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive." - Colossians 3:14-15 “We work in the dark — we do what we can — we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art."- Henry James, from The Middle Years God, we pray for peace, comfort, and wholeness, especially for the families and friends of the victims in the Nigerian plane crash this weekend. We mourn with our Nigerian brothers and sisters and all those who are missing loved ones. Amen.

3/19/13Marian Wright Edelman "How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you."- Psalm 139:16-18 “It's time for greatness -- not for greed. It's a time for idealism -- not ideology. It is a time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action.” - Marian Wright Edelman

3/18/13Francis de Sales "It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings."- Hebrews 2:10 "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the new task." - Francis de Sales God, as our neighbors protest and argue over the health care law, we pray for civility and respectful dialogue by all sides of the debate. Give wisdom to our judges and elected leaders as they shape the health care landscape for the future. Amen.

3/17/13Ralph J. Bunche "For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?"- Jeremiah 8:21-22 "There will be no security in our world, no release from agonizing tension, no genuine progress, no enduring peace, until, in Shelley’s fine words, 'reason’s voice, loud as the voice of nature, shall have waked the nations.'" - Ralph J. Bunche Lord, when life gets hectic or feels unbearable, help me in these moments to see you in nature and the world around me. Amen.

3/16/13Sri Sathya sai Baba "Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" - John 6:35 "If there is righteousness in the heart / There will be beauty in character / If there is beauty in character / There will be harmony in the home / When there is harmony in the home / There will be order in the nation / When there is order in the nation / There will be peace in the world." - Sri Sathya sai Baba Merciful God, we pray for peace along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, that leaders would have the courage and wisdom to wage peace. Lord, help us to fiercy reject violence and destruction as means of solving conflict. Amen.

3/15/13Teilhard de Chardin "As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause. [God] does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. [God] gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; [and] sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety."- Job 5:8-11 "Since once again, Lord, I have neither bread nor wine nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I, your priest, will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labors and sufferings of the world." - Teilhard de Chardin Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee. Amen.From the first verse of the hymn, "Take My Life and Let It Be"

3/14/13Angela Y. Davis "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters." - Galatians 6:18 “Progressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensity social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation.” - Angela Y. Davis God, we continue to lament the violence and destruction in Syria. Protect the peacemakers, and comfort all those in mourning. Amen.

3/13/13Martin Luther King Jr. "God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice."- Job 34:12 "My personal trials have also taught me the value of unmerited suffering. As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways that I could respond to my situation: either to react with bitterness or to transform the suffering into a creative force." - Martin Luther King Jr. God, give me patience through the rest of this week that I might not be so proud to rush through life by myself, without you. Lord, you know the origin of every thought, so help me to recognize the times when I am tempted to lose patience with others. Give me the ability to love patiently. Amen.

3/12/13Barbara Brown Taylor "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."- Matthew 9:12-13 "My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.”- Barbara Brown Taylor, from An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith God in heaven, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Amen.

3/11/13 Townes Van Zandt "Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight. Your decrees are righteous for ever; give me understanding that I may live."- Psalm 119:143-144 "Humans can't live in the present, like animals do. Humans are always thinking about the future or the past. So it's a veil of tears, man. I don't know anything that's going to benefit me now, except love. I just need an overwhelming amount of love. And a nap. Mostly a nap."- Townes Van Zandt Protect us, Lord, from being so offended by your revelations that we curse your prophets. Guard us from being so foolishly blinded by your majesty that we lose any sense of how to speak as your witness. Rather, help our lips praise you for your glory. Amen.

Taken from the May 23 reflection in Common Prayer: A liturgy for ordinary radicals.

Townes van Zandt - Snowin' on RatonI have seen the winter winds racing off of Raton Mountains, hurling snow and ice at the lonely traveler.♥ Mountain snows come hard ♥ And early in the Raton ♥ My heart longs for homeHaiku (5-7-5) Thomastwo

Flannery O'Connor

3/10/13Flannery O'Connor "For [Jesus] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us."- Ephesians 2:14 “He loved her because it was his nature to do so, but there were times when he could not endure her love for him. There were times when it became nothing but pure idiot mystery...”- Flannery O'Connor, from Everything that Rises Must Converge O Lord, I praise you for your great faithfulness! Thank you for being faithful even when I am faithless! Thank you for allowing me into your everlasting kingdom. Keep my wandering heart close to you. Amen.Adapted from Blue Letter Bible

3/9/13 W.E.B. Du Bois "[God] raises up the poor from the dust; [God] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them [God] has set the world."- 1 Samuel 2:8 “Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.”- W.E.B. Du Bois, from Three African-American Classics God, we pray today for all the children who have been burdened with HIV/AIDS, that you will give them better access to health care and medicine. We pray that you will give strength to their caregivers and love from their communities. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

3/8/13Anne Wilson Schaef "God gives the desolate a home to live in; [God] leads out the prisoners to prosperity..."- Psalm 68:6a "Mysteriously hidden within each of us are the seeds that can germinate into a new society, a new planet. Like the corn, we have hidden deep within our living process a wisdom that reaches back to all knowledge and beyond all possibilities.... We have the wisdom of the ancestors reaching back to the mighty power of all creation... within us." - Anne Wilson Schaef God, we pray for the millions of men and women, girls and boys, who are trapped by human trafficking. Break their chains and set them free. Help those in power to bring the perpetrators to justice. Amen.